A Weekend at Bunnyburrow
by Leon Burnes
Summary: Nick and Judy visit the eccentric Bunnyburrow for a weekend. What kind of chaos will ensue? A pretty typical NickXJudy ship. This is my first fanfiction in a very long time, so please rate and review! K to T for some mildly adult humor.
1. Chapter 1: Bunnyburrow Bound

_**Chapter One:**_

 _ **~Bunnyburrow Bound~**_

Nick Wilde stood in front of the mirror in Judy Hopps' small apartment, nervously fidgeting with the collar on his shirt. The early morning rays of the sun pierced through the slightly overcast sky and filtered in through the window. Judy laid behind him on the bed, cleaning her soft grey fur gently. "Would you stop acting so jittery? I promise you, it won't be that bad," Judy said warmly. She stood up and stroked the coarse red fur on his face.

"Easy for you to say. My family had a few members, yours has hundreds," Nick responded, his voice lacking its usual cool charm.

"And they're all hyper and bouncy. Don't step on any of the little ones, mind those manners I taught you, and you'll be fine," Judy responded.

"Hyper and bouncy? Great. Hundreds of you," Nick said, laughing nervously.

"Har-har, Mr. Slick. Would you stop fidgeting? We gotta' go, or we'll miss our train." Nick sighed and grabbed their bags off the floor. As they departed from the tiny homestead, Nick glanced back, scanning across the apartment. _Bunnyburrow bound, I guess…._ he thought. He let the locked door close softly behind him.

Nick and Judy had talked the stoic water buffalo known as Chief Bogo into letting them take a weekend off to visit home. Judy was obviously ecstatic about the idea of seeing her family for the first time in over two years. Nick, however, was not as exuberant about the idea. She had finally eased his mind enough to get him to go, but he was still highly reluctant at best. Him and crowds didn't play well together, nor did him and first impressions.

Down on the street, they were met with the usual buzz of Zootopia. Various animals lumbered and scurried to and fro, going about their daily business. Species from all different kinds of biomes populated City Centre, the elaborate structure of the Zootopia Police Department building looming overheard nearby. Nick and Judy began to weave through the crowd, narrowly avoiding an elephant's stomping feet. Judy stayed close on Nick's heels as they dashed towards the train station. After getting caught behind a group of sloths, they finally arrived at their platform just as the train began to board. They both flashed their tickets at the booth and clamored in towards the back of the train. As usual, any train leaving the city was sparsely filled. They had the entire traincar to themselves. Nick hauled their luggage onto the rack above them and took their seats. Judy laid her head over on Nick's chest, and for the first time all morning, Nick started to feel somewhat calm. He looked down at the soulful eyes of the rabbit he had fallen quite in love with. There was some hidden emotion behind those eyes he could never quite identify, and it had become a quiet pastime of his to gaze aimlessly into them in failed attempts at discovery.

The train suddenly chugged to a slow start and began its lethargic movement down the tracks. Judy snuggled her head slightly deeper into Nick's chest, and Nick began to scan the horizon as the train climbed the tracks above the city. The Zootopia City Tower set the center point for the entire metropolis, City Centre a mere suburb in size compared to the massive biome-centric districts sprawling out from it. It wasn't long at all before the rails had taken them out of the city and into the mountainous horizon. The rolling hills were covered in numerous evergreen pines, the strong minty smell of which wafted through the closed windows. After a few minutes, Judy, who had been snoring ever-so-softly in a light sleep, popped her eyes open and smiled at Nick. Nick grinned warmly back. Judy eased up off his chest and began looking out the window. "Hey, Nick…." she spoke slowly. "There's something you should probably know…."

Nick's breath caught in his chest. Panic immediately began to take hold. "Oh… yeah…? What's that…?" he asked nervously.

"My, um… family doesn't know that you're… a fox…." Judy responded almost as nervously.

"What?!" Nick exclaimed. "How could you not tell them, Judy?!"

"Hey, hey. Calm down, please…. It's not as bad as you think. There's a family friend named Gideon Grey that my parents went into business with. He's a fox as well. So, they're not prejudiced or judgmental. They just… might be a little surprised to see me dating one, is all," Judy explained.

"You should've told them regardless…." Nick muttered. "This'll put us both in an awkward situation."

"It's going to be awkward anyway," Judy said.

"Thanks… for the encouragement," Nick answered haughtily.

"Nick, I'm sorry…. Just trust me. Okay?" Judy asked, putting on a slightly pouty face.

Nick looked over into her indecipherable eyes and realized that it was simply impossible to say no to her. "…Okay," Nick said reluctantly.

"You know you love me!" Judy quipped.

"Do I know that?" Nick questioned, looking over at her smiling face. "Yes, I do." Judy laid her head back on Nick's chest comfortably, and the rest of the long train ride was spent in relative silence until Bunnyburrow loomed upon the distant horizon.


	2. Chapter 2: Welcome Home, Judy

_**Chapter Two:**_

 _ **~Welcome Home, Judy~**_

As Nick had expected, Bunnyburrow was surrounded by miles upon miles of fields, most of which were, also as expected, carrot fields. As the train pulled into the secluded countryside station, Nick saw the dreaded sight on a whole slew of rabbits, all of which were holding some kind of "welcome home Judy" sign. His face instinctively fell, which Judy noticed and tried to correct with a quick peck on the cheek. Nick reached up to grab their luggage as Judy excitedly ran off the train and straight into the loving embrace of Stu and Bonnie, her parents. "Welcome home, baby!" Bonnie exclaimed, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Judy! Jude the Dude! Welcome home!" Stu yelled, his normal fatherly tone ever-present. About this time, Nick stepped off the train with their bags and paused for a second.

Judy broke away from their embrace and took a deep breath. "Mom… dad… there's someone I'd like you to meet," she said, waving her hand towards Nick. "This is Nick Wilde… my… my boyfriend…."

Nick laughed nervously and forced a meek "hi". Stu and Bonnie's mouths dropped wide open. The many children had more mixed reactions. Some screamed and ran, others ran straight up to him with a whole myriad of questions. ("Are you a real fox?" "Can I feel your fur?" "Do you have sharp teef?") Finally, Bonnie mustered enough courage to say something. "Well… certainly never… expected your boyfriend to be a fox…. But that's okay! That's okay! Right, Stu?" Bonnie chattered in a state of slight shock.

"Uh… well, yeah! That's okay. So, what is it that… you do, son?" Stu asked Nick with slight caution.

Nick didn't quite trust his nervous brain to allow him to speak just yet, so he looked awkwardly at Judy instead. "Well, actually, he's a cop. My partner, really," Judy said happily.

Stu looked straight at Nick for a second and then began to laugh. "A fox cop? C'mon, what do you actually do?" he said.

Nick grimaced for a second and gritted his teeth, flashing a slightly annoyed look at Judy. "Actually, I _am_ a cop," Nick responded coolly, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his ZPD badge.

Stu gasped and stopped laughing immediately. "Oh… I'm so sorry…." he stammered.

"I do apologize for my husband. Nick, was it? Regardless, if Judy's taken a liking to you, then you're a part of the family to me," Bonnie stated with a confident smile.

Startled by her sudden generosity, Nick smiled a little. "Thank you, ma'am," he said.

"Please, call me Ms. Hopps. No need to be so formal," she responded. "Now, all of you, come along. Let's get back to the house and start on Judy's welcome back dinner!" There was a chorus of cheers throughout the crowd of young bunnies as the whole herd began to move towards the open fields around them.

Judy intentionally fell back in the crowd to walk alongside Nick. "You really should have told them, Carrots," Nick stated. Judy could tell he wasn't exactly mad, as "Carrots" had become somewhat of an affectionate pet-name for her.

"I really am sorry, Nick. But I didn't want them to have a chance to reject you if they had some crazy notion about you being a danger. Which I sincerely doubt they'd have, but still," Judy answered.

"Didn't you say you had a family friend that was a fox?"

"Yeah! His name's Gideon Grey. He's the best local baker you could possibly imagine. In fact, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if my mother invited him to stay for dinner. (He's supplying the blueberry cobbler.) I'll have to make sure you meet him…." Judy said, her voice trailing off slightly. However, all Nick heard was "blueberry" and his stomach began to growl hungrily. Judy chuckled. "Let's go get you some food before you go savage on me."


	3. Chapter 3: Gideon Grey

_**Chapter Three:**_

 _ **~Gideon Grey~**_

At a glance, the Hopps household may have seemed small. All that was visible above ground was a small foyer with a tiny coat room off to the side. However, the home was in reality a labyrinthine structure of room upon endless room built into a set of grassy hills. The many tiny rabbits scattered in every which direction throughout the house. Some of the teenaged rabbits had fallen back to talk to their sister, asking her question after question about the big city. Nick stayed silent, letting Judy revel in the love of her family. As they got further back into the mazelike house, Nick lost track of where Judy went. Panicking slightly, Nick looked around with a deer-in-the-headlights look. Fortunately, Bonnie approached him a few seconds later. "Got lost, did you?" she asked. Nick laughed nervously. "Ah, don't worry. So many bunnies requires so many rooms!" Bonnie said, laughing. "C'mon, follow me to the kitchen. You can help me out until Gideon gets here."

Nick nodded with a forced confidence and followed Bonnie closely. Once in the kitchen, Bonnie began busily rambling around the kitchen in an almost blinding speed. Nick could only stand and watch helplessly. Finally, she stopped and caught her breath long enough to speak. "Go and hand me ingredients from that cupboard, sweetie," she ordered softly. Nick stood by the cupboard she had gestured towards and waited for her to start listing ingredients. Before he had a chance to prepare, she started rattling off spice after spice and herb after herb in a rapid-fire succession. Nick tried to keep up with her cooking furor, but to no avail. He was finally saved by a soft knock on the ajar door.

"Ms. Hopps, got the cobbler here," said a firm raspy voice with a strong southern drawl. A large fox with dark red fur stepped into the kitchen, wearing flour-caked denim overalls. "I put a few extra blue-" The new fox stopped mid-sentence when he saw Nick. "Well… now who's this new face?" he asked with an unabashed fascination.

"Oh! Gideon! Good to see you! Gideon, this is Nick Wilde. Nick, this is Gideon Grey, a family friend," Bonnie piped.

"Well, I'll be darned. Never did I think I'd see another fox in the Tri-Burrows!" Gideon exclaimed excitedly. "What brings you out into the bunny boonies, friend?"

Nick smiled a little, already taking a liking to this new fox. "I'm Nick, Judy's boyfriend and partner," he said.

Gideon's jaw dropped. "Boyfriend? Well, well… little Judy sure keeps on surprising us, don't she? You said you and her were partners, too?" he questioned.

Nick instinctively reached into his pocket and flashed his badge. "Officer Wilde, ZPD," he responded.

"A fox cop?! Haha! That's wonderful, bud. Proof us foxes can be anything, right?" Gideon said, setting the glass container of blueberry cobbler on the counter and extending a friendly handshake to Nick.

About this time, Judy came into the kitchen with a few of the older rabbits. "I'll see you at dinner, big sis!" they said happily, leaving her in the kitchen.

Judy waved them goodbye and turned to smile a large, toothy grin at Gideon and Nick. "Aw! Are my two boys getting along?" she asked giddily.

"Hey there, Judy!" Gideon said, embracing her in a gentle hug. She shuffled over to Nick and put her arm around his waist, the tip of her head not coming up much higher than that. "Yeah, I just met your guy friend here. You never fail to amaze me, Jude," Gideon remarked.

Judy put her head against Nick's waist. "Mmhm. We've had our rough circumstances, but here we are," she responded, smiling.

"Don't mean to interrupt, but Gideon, now that you're here, would you mind helping me in the kitchen?" Bonnie asked. "Not… that you weren't good enough, hon," she added, smiling at Nick.

 _That's what happens when you eat instant ramen and microwave dinners for every meal…._ Nick and Judy both simultaneously thought.

"Oh, yeah! Sure thing, Ms. Hopps! Good meeting you, bud. And good seeing you again, Judy," Gideon stated.

"C'mon. Let's go back to my room, we'll get settled in," Judy said, gently tugging on Nick's shirt as they left the kitchen.


	4. Chapter 4: A Father's Love

_**Chapter Four:**_

 _ **~A Father's Love~**_

After settling into Judy's room, the two meandered their way back outside. Just through the front door, they were met by Stu. "Heya, son…." he said cautiously towards Nick.

"Dad, stop it. He's not any different than Gideon, so don't treat him differently," Judy chastised him. Nick huffed lightly in indignation at being put on the same level as a baker, regardless of his liking of Gideon, but he let it slide.

"I'm not. I just wanted to apologize. …Nick, right? Why don't you come with me? Let me make it up to you," Stu responded.

Nick glanced at Judy with a sense of apprehension that plainly stated _don't leave me_. Judy nodded back and said, "It's okay. He doesn't bite." Nick sighed softly and forced a slight smile at Stu.

"Good. Follow me, Nick. I got something I want to show you," Stu said gently. Nick followed suit behind Stu, walking behind the mazelike burrow that the Hopps family called home. A small rickety greenhouse stood behind the structure. "This is my little 'home-away-from-home'. My mancave, if you will," Stu explained, laughing a little. "C'mere. There's something I think you should see."

Nick followed Stu into the greenhouse. Inside, a vast assortment of flowers shone in vivid tropical colors. "Wow…." Nick gasped as he walked through the kaleidoscopic room. In the corner, he spotted the unmistakable shape and color of the Night Howler. He stopped, reflecting silently on the toxic plant that had indirectly brought Judy and him together.

" _Midnicampum holicithias_ …. You probably don't want to see that, do you, son?" Stu asked solemnly, carefully pushing the potted plant behind some empty troughs. "Anyway, what I wanted to show you is over here." Stu ventured towards a dirty and rusty desk and opened a drawer, motioning for Nick.

Nick walked over and peered into the open drawer. It was filled with various old knick-knacks. "What are these, sir?" Nick asked.

"Judy is… our eldest daughter. I've kept everything she has ever made or bought for me and her mother and put them in this drawer. Every time I worry about her being a cop in the big city, I always come here and look at these trinkets. Worthless to anyone else, but to me, they're worth more than gold…." Stu trailed off in thought.

"…I know it must be hard for your daughter to be so far away from home," Nick responded with a caring tone that sounded weird coming from his mouth even to himself.

"You don't even know, son. During the whole Savage Predator case two years ago, I was terrified for her. Even more so when I found out she was injured! I spent so many nights in here, just looking at these," Stu stated bleakly.

Nick pondered his next words carefully. "Mr. Hopps, if I may…. Your daughter will never come to any harm when I'm around. I will make certain of that."

Stu turned to face Nick, a certain degree of warmth in his eyes that wasn't there previously. "I know that. I don't know you from squat, son, but I know by the way Judy looks at you, you're something special. Fox or not," he beamed.

"I know it was a surprise to see a fox attached to your daughter's hip, but it was Judy that made me become a cop as it was. I owe her… no, the city of Zootopia owes her a vast amount of debt after the Bellwether Incident. Mr. Hopps, I love your daughter. And no harm is going to come to her ever again with the me and the entire force protecting her," Nick reassured him.

Stu looked at Nick with an unrivaled admiration and nodded. Without another word, they left the greenhouse and headed back towards the front of the house.


	5. Chapter 5: Blueberry Cobbler

_**Chapter Five:**_

 _ **~Blueberry Cobbler~**_

Later that night, the entire Hopps family had settled into a long hall within the family home, fully prepared for the dinner at hand. Nick was simply astonished at the sheer volume of food that Bonnie and Gideon had managed to prepare. The thought of making even one meal like that wore him out, let alone having to make a family feast three times a day. Nick sat comfortably between Judy and Gideon. Stu and Bonnie sat at the head of the table, somehow managing to keep an eye on the horde of energetic fluffs bouncing around the table. Judy seemed entirely unfazed by the clamor as she buttered a dinner roll and handed it to Nick. "How can you remain so calm?" Nick asked her, his fox instinct telling him to hide away from the commotion. "It's like we're back in City Centre…."

"Nick, how do you think I remain so calm in the crowds? You get used to it in a family like this," she responded calmly.

"It really does get better," Gideon said reassuringly. Nick sat back uncomfortably in his chair, nibbling on the dinner roll she had handed him. "So, Jude tells me you like blueberries, bud."

Before Nick could answer, Judy interjected. "Yeah, he'd practically take on Chief Bogo in a wrestling match to win a few blueberries," she quipped.

"Chief Buffalo Butt wouldn't stand a chance," Nick shot back coolly.

"Ha! Then you'll love my cobbler. Wait 'till dessert," Gideon stated proudly.

As the main courses began to circulate the table, Nick quickly realized a slight problem that he was sure even Judy had overlooked. There was no food at the table for predators. He tasted a few sautéed vegetables and pieced on the various carrot-based dishes, but he wasn't going to be able to eat much of anything solid. The whole time, Gideon was smiling at him knowingly, his plate barren. He motioned towards Bonnie, and with a nod, she disappeared into a side room. She came back out with a covered dish not in circulation around the table. She came up behind them and tapped Nick on the shoulder. He turned. "Looking for something more your style, sweetie?" she asked, revealing the covered dish to be two small fillets of steamed salmon.

"Ms. Hopps, you didn't have to-," Nick started, but Gideon interrupted him.

"I brought 'em. Not my first rodeo at the Hopps house. Fortunately, I just happened to have an extra (I'm not the only predator animal in the Tri-Burrows, after all)," he explained.

"Well, thank you," Nick said. "Foxes gotta' stick together, right?"

Gideon nodded happily. Judy smiled softly, remaining quiet. Nick began tearing into the pleasantly cooked fish, finally happy to be able to eat something that his body wouldn't eventually reject as non-food. He spotted a few young bunnies across the table watching him eat the salmon with a sense of both awe and disgust. He barred his teeth at them with a quick smile, which elicited a chorus of "wows" from the little rabbits. Judy pinched his side under the table and ordered him to behave. Finally, after the main portion of the dinner had come and gone, the desserts began their pass around the table. Nick's mouth watered in anticipation for the delicious blueberry cobbler to come. He quickly snatched it up as it reached him and took a sizable piece from the dish. Gideon looked at him with questioning eyes. As Nick took the first bite of the heavenly treat, he nearly melted in his seat. "Carrots, smack me. Either I'm dreaming or I've died and gone to blueberry heaven," Nick laughed. Gideon practically gleamed of exuberance that his baking skills had preceded him yet again.

Judy giggled. "I'm glad you like it. Maybe the promise of this will get you to come back sometime."

After the dinner, Judy and Nick had resigned to Judy's room for the night. Her room was quaint and small, still painted with various posters of Fur Fighters and The White Sharks. Nick had arranged a mess of covers and blankets on the floor next to Judy's bed to sleep in. "…Eclectic mix of posters here, bunny," Nick said.

Judy started to respond, but stopped when she turned away from her dresser. "What are you doing?" Nick stopped, looking confused. "Nuh-uh. Nope. Get those blankets off the floor. You're sleeping in the same bed with me," she ordered bossily.

"Judy!" Nick exclaimed, his eyes widening. "But…."

Judy put a finger to his mouth to stop him from protesting. "I trust you, Nick," she said with a warmth in her voice she reserved for him and him only. Nick looked troubled for a second, but decided it best to not argue with her. They both changed into their night clothes, carefully avoiding eye contact with each other as they did so, half out of respect, half out of embarrassment. Judy slipped her headphones into her ears, a nightly ritual for her. As they both wiggled onto the small bed, Judy took no time in cuddling up with the fox she unabashedly loved with all her heart. "Goodnight, handsome fox," she whispered lovingly, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. Nick slowly drifted into a light sleep, embraced by the rabbit he knew was his entire world, listening to the mellow sounds of The Civil Wolves drifting from her headphones.


	6. Chapter 6: The Hill

_**Chapter Six:**_

 _ **~The Hill~**_

The next morning, Stu caught Nick as he was walking out the door and immediately drafted him to work in the fields for the day. After being shown the basics of farming, Nick had picked up fieldwork like he was naturally born doing it. However, his experiment with farm life was short lived after he was caught three separate times trying to sneak off to the blueberry fields to nab a few. Having been sent away by Stu to go become someone else's burden, he joined Judy setting up on a small hill underneath a shade tree, watching all the young rabbits play and run to their heart's content. Nick flopped down next to her and leaned back against the tree. "What's up, fluff butt?" Nick asked jokingly.

"You didn't last long in the fields," Judy said accusingly.

"Hey, Mr. Hopps said I was trying to steal blueberries or something. I'm innocent, of course," Nick responded.

"Right. Until proven guilty by the blue smeared all over your muzzle," she stated with confidence. Nick's eyes widened as he wiped his muzzle quickly, realizing there was nothing there. "Ha! You actually fell for it!" Judy giggled.

"Clever bunny…." Nick muttered.

Judy continued giggling as she reached behind her and pulled out a small bag. "Cup your paws," she commanded. Nick did so, and she poured a handful of blueberries out of the bag that had apparently been liberated from the fields he had failed to rob. Nick hummed contently as he popped a few of them into his mouth. Judy tossed the bag aside and laid her head over on his shoulder, watching the little ones run on the hill beneath them. They were playing an odd game where one would pretend to be a fox and the other bunnies ran away, making fish-like swimming movements as they did so. "I wonder where they came up with the idea for that game, hmm?" Judy questioned, giving Nick a haughty look.

"Am I on trial here, Officer?" Nick laughed.

"Nicholas P. Wilde, you are under arrest for corrupting small children with your predator ways," Judy retorted.

"Oh, by all means, arrest me. I've got a dangerous weapon on me, I might need frisked," Nick responded, grinning mischievously.

"Nick!" Judy gasped, exasperated. She smacked him on his shoulder, and they both laughed heartily. They spent the next few minutes in silence, enjoying the beautiful country day. Nick admitted that although he was quite the city slicker, it was freeing to be so far away from Zootopia for once in his life. Just as he had begun to nod off in the cool summer breeze, Judy tapped him on the cheek. "Hey. There's somewhere I want to go. Go wait by the barn," she said.

Slightly disgruntled, Nick stretched and got up. "Where you got in mind, Carrots?" he asked.

"You'll see," she answered cryptically. Nick and Judy walked down the hill hand in hand. While Nick waited by the barn as he was told, Judy went into the house. She came back out a few minutes later jingling the keys to the family truck.

"Oh, no. I don't know if I can deal with a bunny driver today," Nick joked smugly.

"Just get in!" Judy snapped back as she pushed open the barndoor, revealing the truck. They both climbed into the antiquated vehicle, Nick making extra sure his seatbelt was securely fastened. They slowly took off and exited the Hopps household onto the main road. They hadn't driven very far before Judy turned off onto a dirt road leading up a hill. Nick stared at her like she had lost her mind. The dirt road led up to a small clearing at the very top of the hill. Judy parked the truck and got out. She motioned for Nick to come sit with her on a small log at the hill's peak. Once Nick approached the log, he realized why Judy had brought them there.

"You can see the whole farm from up here," Judy said quietly. It was true; the entire Hopps estate was clearly visible from where they sat on the log, the residents of which were mere dots in the fields far below. "This kind of became my secret little place when I was growing up. I would come up here and just enjoy the peace." Nick looked down at the place where Judy was born and raised, knowing how she must be feeling seeing this for the first time in over two years. "…I'm really glad you came home to meet my parents, even if it is only for a weekend," Judy admitted.

"To be honest, so am I. I've enjoyed this little vacation more than I ever thought I would," Nick responded.

Judy looked back up at him and smiled gently. "Thank you, Nick," she said, giving Nick a deep kiss on his lips.

"I love you, Carrots," Nick stated simply.

Judy's eyes widened a little. "That's the first time you've ever said that in person."

"It is? …No, I've said it on the phone and on notes I've left for you at your desk!" Nick said, trying to defend himself.

"That doesn't count as in person!" Judy exclaimed.

"It doesn't?" Nick questioned, confused.

Judy sighed. "I love you too, dumb fox." She laid down and placed her head in his lap while he slowly stroked the grey fur on her face, gazing into those mysterious eyes as he had become so accustomed to doing. They both knew that there would be nothing that would ever split them apart, and that they were simply meant to be. Neither of them could think of anything that would cause their weekend vacation in Bunnyburrow to end badly. Their hearts sung in content harmony, each perfectly happy to be in the other's presence.

" _Then they set out along the blacktop in the gunmetal light, shuffling through the ash, each the other's world entire." ~Cormac McCarthy (The Road, 2006)~_

 _ **~FIN~**_


End file.
